Gifts
by Axel Terizaki
Summary: This happens 15 years after "Child Of Love", my first work... This is a story about Teri-chan :)


GIFTS  
  
A Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Child of Love fanfiction side story Written by Axel Terizaki (aterizak@free.fr). Assisted by Myssa Elaine Rei. Inspired by an idea from Marco Deladiere. Retooled by Dave Watson, with suggestions from Disaster, 2001 10 15-11   
20. Brought to you by the makers of coffee.  
Version 1.0.  
  
ASUKA's Notebook--http://aterizak.free.fr/an/site  
NARU's Diary--http://www.narudiary.free.fr  
  
---  
  
*ahem*  
  
Who said I was out of action? :) Just enjoyed a few holidays, and now   
it's time to get back to work!  
  
This story follows the events of The Child of Love, my first Eva   
fanfiction that I posted on the web. Of course, reading that first (if   
you haven't already) is recommended, so you can understand the   
characters and events in this better. Go ahead, we'll wait for you. :)  
  
I have made a slight change; as you will see, Teri's brother is no   
longer named "Axel," like he originally was, but...Hiroyuki :) I wonder   
who the idiot was who decided to call him Axel in the first place. :P  
  
A brief Japanese-to-English primer for those who might need it:   
Otousan--father (polite); Okaasan--mother (polite); Yatta!--All right!;   
Itadakimasu--I will receive it (said before enjoying a meal, as a type   
of blessing); Ne?--Right?; Onee-san--older sister (polite); Onii-sama-- older brother (extremely reverent/respectful).  
  
I'll let you discover the rest of the story yourself. Enjoy!  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
A gift...  
  
Is it always a blessing...?  
  
...or a curse?  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
"Damn homework..."  
  
A young girl yawned. It was already past midnight, and she was   
still at her desk, typing furiously on her laptop. Her short red hair was a   
mess; a mark of how little she cared about things like that when she was   
hard at work. She briefly stopped her assault on the keyboard to push her   
glasses back up her nose. Yawning a little, she stirred in her chair, and   
looked at her watch...  
  
  
"Oh, no, this late already? I'd better finish this quickly, or   
else okaasan will be furious if she finds out I'm still up..."  
  
Her room was decorated with a few posters on the wall, some   
music and movie discs laying on the floor in front of a complete   
entertainment system, a teddy bear at the foot of her bed... like a   
typical girl's room.  
  
She suddenly hit her keyboard's Enter key violently and moved in   
her chair again.  
  
"Yattaaaa! Finished! I hate homework!" she almost cheered, but   
whispered it out loud instead to keep from disturbing her parents'   
sleep.  
  
With that, she shut the computer down, which turned off the only   
source of light left in the room, and prepared herself for a good, if   
short, night's sleep. As she closed her eyes, her mind drifted to   
something that she didn't want it to, and a tear slowly dripped down her   
cheek.  
  
"Why did you have to leave me...?"  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Asuka yawned and mumbled. She always had difficulty with early   
mornings. Even after a good shower, she was still a bit sleepy. She   
slumped in a kitchen chair and looked at the place setting in front of   
her...empty.  
  
"Shinji? Isn't breakfast ready yet?" she asked, looking in his   
direction.  
  
Shinji Ikari looked back at her. "Don't worry, Asuka-chan,   
it'll be ready in a minute."  
  
"You'd better hurry. I'm starving."  
  
"Well, after last night, I guess I can't blame you," Shinji   
smiled. Asuka humphed in response.  
  
Both of them were adults now. They had both been through a lot,   
but, as time passed, they had gotten closer to each other and found out   
that things were easier to overcome together. Asuka had stopped wearing   
her EVA interface hairclips a long time ago, and let her hair grow even   
longer. Shinji had became taller and put on some muscle, but still kept   
his hair the same length. He also shaved religiously every morning   
after skipping it one busy Sunday, looking at the heavy stubble on his   
face in the mirror the next day, and noticing how much it reminded him   
of a beard--his father's. The man who drew him and Asuka together in   
some way, but who was also ready to sacrifice them for whatever   
mysterious plans he had in mind.  
  
"There's some curry-flavoured cup ramen in the cupboard if you   
can't wait just a few more minutes," he added, after a few seconds.  
  
"No, thanks. It reminds me of when Misato was cooking for us."  
  
The young couple were exchanging a chuckle when a third person   
walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning, Teri-chan," Shinji said, as the second redhead of   
his household came up to him and gave him a little kiss on the cheek.   
She was already dressed in her school uniform, a white short-sleeved   
blouse with a thin ribbon tied around her neck and a grey skirt that   
fell to her knees.  
  
"Good morning, otousan, okaasan..." Both redheads then yawned   
in sync.  
  
"Isn't Hiro up yet? He's going to be late for school," Teri   
inquired, a bit worried. She had to walk to school with her brother   
every morning, and he sometimes made her late.  
  
Asuka sighed. Her son slept like a rock. She slowly stood up   
from her chair.  
  
"Okay, I'll go wake him up..."  
  
Teri sat down at the table and watched her father prepare   
breakfast. The table was soon laid out with a strange mix of Japanese   
and European food, which was the result of the desire of a certain   
someone to have her children raised with both her and her husband's   
cultures. Teri looked at her smiling father, and then her plate.  
  
"Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed, before digging in. Breakfast is   
said to be the most important meal of the day, but, for Teri, there   
seemed to be no difference, as she hungrily devoured her fried eggs.   
For her, every meal was important, as long as it tasted good and filled   
the gap inside her belly.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Asuka opened the door to her son's room and stepped inside,   
careful not to make any noise. It was kind of strange, since her   
primary objective was to wake him up. She slowly approached the bed in   
front of her, looking around so she wouldn't bump into or step on   
anything. Even though it was quite dark, she could still distinguish   
the layout of the room, thus avoiding all the obstacles in her way. As   
she reached her destination, she slowly bent over, and whispered into an   
ear.  
  
"Hiro...wake up..."  
  
No response.  
  
"Hiroyuki-chan, wake up..." she said, just under her normal tone   
of voice.  
  
Still no response. Asuka grimaced as she began to lose her   
patience. She inhaled a bit.  
  
"WAKE UP, HIROYUKI!"  
  
"GYAAAAHH!" The seeming corpse under the covers jerked and sat   
up its bed, groggily looking at the source of the outburst which had   
interrupted its peaceful slumber.  
  
"...Mama?" he asked, eyes half-opened. Asuka stood up and   
crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Wake up *now*, Mister Ikari, or you'll be late for school   
again!"  
  
"Yes, mama. Is it already morning...?" Hiroyuki yawned, and   
rubbed his eyes.  
  
"If you don't stop waking up late on school days, I'm going to   
have to take drastic measures!" she threatened. Hiroyuki knew that when   
his mother was angry, there was absolutely no way he could go up against   
her. Even his dad and sister couldn't do a thing when she was like   
this; her word was law. He got up, and slowly, groggily walked to his   
doorway. Asuka followed, giving him a little slap across the butt to   
move him along.  
  
"Come on, hurry up!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah..."  
  
Seeing him turning towards the bathroom, she smiled. Being a   
mother wasn't so bad, and she kind of liked to play the tyrant with her   
children from time to time. She left the room, turning the other way,   
back to the kitchen.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Having heard the scene from the kitchen, Shinji finished setting   
Hiroyuki's breakfast on the table. He sat next to the chair Asuka was   
in earlier, and started in on his own meal.  
  
"As usual, great cooking, otousan."  
  
"Arigatou, Teri-chan." Shinji smiled back at her, although he   
knew Teri wasn't feeling well lately. This was mostly due to the   
departure of one of her best childhood friends. He was an American boy   
who had recently returned to his homeland with his parents after they   
had lived in Japan for many years. Both her parents and close friends   
knew about the two of them being kind of a couple, even if they were   
more like good friends than anything else. Asuka, Shinji and Hiroyuki   
took turns comforting the poor girl when it looked like it was getting   
to her. This wasn't always easy, since she tended to hide those   
feelings, and she even tried to refuse the help sometimes, angrily   
insisting that she was fine when she obviously wasn't. That was one of   
the few things Asuka wasn't proud of passing on to her daughter.  
  
The two ate quietly, and Asuka soon joined them, sliding back   
into her chair.  
  
"Hiroyuki-chan is such a lazy sleepyhead!"  
  
"Much like you, okaasan, ne?" Teri replied immediately. She   
loved to tease her mother from time to time, like some children do.   
Shinji just chuckled at the two of them.  
  
"You'll pay for that later, young lady," Asuka retorted, in a   
fake angry tone. Teri then looked idly at her watch.  
  
"Oh my god, it's that late already?" Swallowing the food in her   
mouth, she quickly stood up, grabbed her schoolbag, ran to the bathroom   
door and knocked on it.  
  
"Hiro-chan, you'd better hurry up, or I won't wait for you!"  
  
A grumble came from the bathroom. Teri decided to wait outside   
then. Soon after, Hiroyuki emerged, rushed to his own room to get   
dressed, grabbed some food off his plate to eat on the way to school,   
kissed his parents goodbye and joined his older sister outside, all in   
about five minutes.  
  
"You sure are slow..." Teri commented, grinning. She loved   
irritating the people she loved the most, even if it did backfire on her   
now and again.  
  
"You sure repeat yourself a lot, onee-san," he retorted, as they   
continued to their school.  
  
"Hmph! Baka!" she growled, looking away.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Shinji watched his wife sit down in front of her computer and   
begin to type with a fierce but steady speed. He chuckled and admired   
her concentration, and how she looked with her reading glasses, long red   
hair and serious expression. Since they had both wanted to break away   
from their past, Misato made arrangements which helped them both settle   
into a more peaceful, normal life. Asuka decided to become a freelance   
writer, and Shinji worked as a Japanese-language home tutor for foreign   
children.  
  
"How is your book coming along?" he asked, taking a sip from his   
coffee. His next lesson was in two hours, so he was biding his time.  
  
Her pace slowed just a little to allow her to reply.   
"Hmm...very well, I must say. It's just the beginning, but I'm doing   
fine. I'll probably go to the library later today to do some research,   
so you'd better take your keycard, in case I'm not back when you are."  
  
"Sure. Don't worry."  
  
Now her typing slowed to a stop, and she turned to face him.  
  
"I feel sorry for Teri-chan and Hiroyuki-chan," she said, a bit   
depressed. Asuka was very protective of her children, especially Teri.   
Given everything that had happened surrounding her conception and birth,   
she considered their problems her own.  
  
"Because the Readmans went back to the United States? Well--"  
  
"We were all close to them. They were our best friends, apart   
from the ones we had when we were younger. Hell, I haven't seen Hikari   
in years! She's probably totally busy taking care of that idiot Toji.   
And what about Misato, Kaji-san and Rei? Do you think they're doing   
well?" she asked, interrupting him. Nancy and Drake Readman moved into   
the complex at the same time the Ikari household took over Misato   
Katsuragi's former apartment, and lived right next door to them for   
several years until their recent transfer back to the States. The   
Readmans really didn't want to leave their friends, but they didn't have   
any choice in the matter.  
  
"I'm sure they are. We kinda lost contact with them a long time   
ago. That's a shame, really," he added.  
  
"Maybe we should try to get back in touch. Who knows? Maybe   
they have a cute son Teri-chan could henpeck, now that Brand's gone,"   
Asuka suggested, with a bright smile on her face. Shinji just chuckled.  
  
"Those two were very close. I even remember Teri-chan helping   
me out when I was teaching Brand Japanese."  
  
"Yes...makes me feel nostalgic," she remarked, idly rubbing her   
cheek.  
  
That's when Shinji slowly got up and put both his hands on his   
wife's shoulders, gently massaging them.  
  
"It sounds like a long time ago, doesn't it? I didn't see   
ourselves grow up. Even Teri-chan and Hiro-chan seem to have grown   
quicker than I can follow. I still remember when you were carrying her,   
when we were so carefree about all the things around us, just thinking   
of ourselves..."  
  
"You too? I want to be young again..." Asuka said, dreamily.  
  
"Aren't we still young? We had Teri-chan at a very young age,   
so we're hardly old. What did you have in mind?" he asked, curious.   
She looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"Can't my sweety baka guess?"  
  
Shinji smiled back at her, delicately took her glasses off her   
face, and leaned over to give her a gentle kiss. It lasted for several   
long, sweet seconds, as both of them shared a little moment of intimacy   
while their children were out. Their chances of being disturbed now   
were a mere 0.0000008%, as a blonde scientist they both knew would have   
said. Shinji broke off the kiss, and smiled at her.  
  
"I'm not Teri-chan, but I can read your mind, ba-ka hen-tai!"   
Asuka said in a funny voice, grinning.  
  
Shinji just grinned back.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
The bell rang. The school day was over.  
  
"Finally, free..." sighed the young redhead as she hurriedly   
packed her schoolbag. She found school quite boring, and when you're   
bored by something, you tend to think about other things. In this case,   
it was someone else. Someone now far away...  
  
"Hey, Teri! Wanna go to karaoke?" another girl asked the   
redhead from the doorway.  
  
"Hmmm...I don't know..."  
  
"Come on...it's Brand, isn't it? Cheer up. You still have us,   
after all," the girl added. Her name was Sakuya, and she also had red   
hair, but it was arranged in two tresses hanging down each side of her   
head. She looked very mature, but was about the same age as Teri.   
Hair-dyeing was in fashion in the mid-2030's in Japan, making Teri look   
less like a phenomenon; her own hair colour was a natural red, which was   
hard to prove to people who'd never known her before. Sakuya was from a   
rich family, but wasn't the snob type; she was warm and down to earth.   
She was close to Teri, mostly because they had both known each other   
since junior high and shared good moments in class, as well as hanging   
out after school.  
  
Teri sighed. She knew she couldn't resist her friend. She   
managed a smile, and replied.  
  
"Okay, you win, Sakuya..." Teri got up from her desk and slowly   
walked over to the girl. As she approached, she saw her two other   
friends waiting for her in the hall.  
  
"We're going to chase him out of your mind, Teri!" a cute young   
girl added. This one had short red hair, too, and was a very good cook.   
She was a nice girl, always smiling and willing to help anyone who   
asked.  
  
"Akari's right! And I challenge you: The one who gets the   
lower mark on that test coming up will have to do the other's homework   
for one week!"  
  
If there was something Teri couldn't refuse, it was a challenge.   
She rolled her eyes and eyed her friend in a fake-menacing way.  
  
"You've already lost, Yukino-chan..." replied the depressed   
girl, trying a bit to act normal in front of her friends. Yukino was   
the last of the group their classmates often called the 'Red Quartet',   
as they were the only redheaded girls in the classroom. Most of the   
girls who dyed their hair tried for a shade of blonde.  
  
"We'll see about that, Ms. Ikari!"  
  
Sakuya tapped Teri's shoulder and smiled.  
  
"So that's settled. Now, let's go!"  
  
Teri didn't know what to say. After a brief moment of thought,   
she sighed, grabbed her cell phone and pressed a couple of buttons.  
  
"Hiro-chan? Yeah it's me. Don't wait for me, because I'm going   
out with some friends. Yeah, tell okaasan and otousan about it. Hm.   
Dunno when we'll be back. Yeah, bye," she said before cutting the line   
and putting the phone back into her pocket. The three other girls   
cheered, seeing that their friend had accepted their offer of some fun.  
  
Teri wasn't exactly an outgoing girl. Even if she was rather   
popular among her classmates, with her not-exactly-Japanese name being a   
curio that caught others' attention, she was quite shy when she wasn't   
around somebody she already knew. However, the rare ones who did dare   
to approach her were rewarded with a good and playful friend. Her   
parents often taught her that it was important to have friends, but she   
couldn't help her nature. Besides, the ability to hear clearly in one's   
head what others were thinking was, in her opinion, not a good thing to   
have when being around friends, or potential friends. Teri was not your   
typical young girl, and as she grew up, she hated it more and more as   
each day passed.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
15 years ago. A palm slammed down on a desk.  
  
"What the HELL are you saying!? She can read MINDS!?" asked a   
fuming Asuka. Shinji was sitting next to her, with a dark look on his   
face. In front of them, on the other side of the desk, was the   
brilliant doctor and scientist Ritsuko Akagi. Misato Katsuragi, NERV   
official and Asuka and Shinji's legal guardian, was standing in a corner   
of the room, arms crossed over her chest.  
  
"Not only that. She also showed some pretty unbelievable   
abilities with telekinesis and is able to travel through dreams, among   
other things..."  
  
"What do you mean!?" the redhead asked, angrily.  
  
"Well, for now, I'm not sure. But these kinds of...abilites...   
could manifest themselves in other ways, like premonitions. It's too   
early to tell. But her case is very interesting, and I would like to--"  
  
"NO WAY! We're taking her home. You will NOT lay another   
finger on her!" Asuka's anger and surprise took over her emotions and   
words, and Shinji felt himself powerless in front of her. Ritsuko, on   
the other hand, was beginning to lose her patience.  
  
"Did you forget, young lady, that I SAVED your life!? That I   
also saved your daught..."  
  
Everyone gasped as Asuka's hand suddenly and violently connected   
with Ritsuko's cheek.  
  
"I'm not going to be in your debt for this, ever! It's EVA's   
fault, you and your stupid projects, for whatever reasons I don't give a   
damn about! You, and everybody who was involved in this, it's ALL your   
fault! You killed my mother! You nearly killed me! You handicapped my   
daughter! And you dare tell me that I should be grateful!? You must be   
crazy!!"  
  
"Asuka, calm down!" Misato interjected.  
  
"I understand how you feel, Asuka. But we're here to help you.   
All this was because of the former commander. We might have some   
responsibility for that, too, but we don't have the same goals anymore.   
NERV isn't what it used to be," she added, trying to calm her down.   
Asuka just turned towards the other woman.  
  
  
"So you're trying to tell me that NERV wants to atone? That it   
wants to be forgiven for everything? I'm sorry, but I'll never forgive   
NERV for what it did to my life."  
  
She paused for a few seconds and looked down.  
  
"There's only one thing for which I am thankful to NERV. I got   
to meet Shinji," she said, as the slightest trace of a smile crossed her   
angry face.  
  
"Asuka..." Shinji managed to say. "We're going to help her out,   
right? We're not going to let Teri-chan down. I'm sure that if we are   
good parents to her, she'll go the right way and won't use her... powers...for evil, or anything like that," he added, after a few seconds   
of thinking. He still sounded a bit hesitant, and still shocked by the   
news and Asuka's reaction.  
  
"I forbid you to take her away from here! She could be   
dangerous. We don't know what else can happen..."  
  
"You...YOU...!"  
  
This time, Asuka went completely berserk and jumped up, her eyes   
blazing, and reared back to punch the woman, but Shinji grabbed her arm   
in time, and tried to calm her down. After a few seconds, she jerked   
his hand away, walked out of the office and slammed the door violently   
behind her, making everyone else in the room wince.  
  
"And I thought everything was going to be okay once she was   
born," the purple-haired woman sighed, a bit dumbfounded.  
  
"I...I'll go after her...!" Shinji declared before leaving the   
room as well. The two women remained inside with an angry young woman's   
words echoing in their minds, knowing fully well that they couldn't   
really say or do anything to change her mind about this after all.  
  
Outside, against the corridor wall, Shinji held Asuka close as   
she nestled her head in his shoulder and sobbed. He was stroking her   
hair and back lovingly, trying to calm her down.  
  
"Shinji...my daughter...she's just like...just like that Angel   
that...that ruined me for so long..."  
  
He knew what she meant, and silenced her by gently taking her   
head into his hands and planting a light kiss on her lips. There was no   
need for her to recall those painful moments of her past.  
  
"Don't say that. She'll be fine. We'll make sure of that. We   
won't be like our parents."  
  
Her grip on him tightened as she started softly crying on his   
shirt. She had always promised herself not to cry anymore since she was   
a child, but she knew, loved and trusted Shinji enough to be able to let   
her guard down around him now. She knew that he would never think any   
less of her because of it.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
The sky was already dark and cloudy outside as classes ended   
late for Teri and her friends. The four girls walked down the streets   
leading to the Tokyo-3 Center. They were all chatting happily about   
what happened that day. Actually, not all of them were chatting. One   
of the girls listened silently, with a grim look on her face. Somehow,   
she was different than she was earlier in the day; as the hours passed,   
she only felt more insecure. She managed to keep her usual face up this   
morning with her family, but her efforts weakened as the day passed.   
Getting bored usually leads you to let your thoughts wander in your   
mind. And that's exactly what Teri was today. Bored. Boredom and   
depression...a terrible mix.  
  
She was walking a bit behind the rest of them, mulling over what   
happened lately. Her best friend had left for another country, and   
their teachers had suddenly given them an enormous load of homework,   
probably in preparation for the upcoming exams. Even if she had a few   
good friends and knew she could count on them, they were really all she   
had, apart from her family. When she looked at other people her age   
around her, she saw that they always had lots of friends, went to   
parties and had lots of people in their cell phones' address books. In   
her phone memory, there were only seven numbers--one for each of her   
friends, her family members and her ex-neighbour. She hated parties,   
too. So full of loud people, some of them doing nasty things, like   
drinking alcohol and smoking--two things she couldn't stand.  
  
Actually, there was one thing she had loved to drink since she   
was young, and that was orange juice. But teenagers like her didn't   
drink orange juice at parties; that is, unless they wanted to be looked   
down on by everybody else there for not being "cool." She didn't care   
at all, anyway. Parties just weren't for her.  
  
She sighed and looked ahead. Her friends were still chatting,   
seemingly ignoring her. That's when she heard a very audible beep above   
her. Looking up, she saw the traffic signal turning red for   
pedestrians. She stopped in her tracks.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Teri! Why are you so slow? Hurry, or it's going to be too   
late to do our favorite song!" Sakuya waved at her from the middle of   
the street. Teri looked down, and saw that she was still on the   
sidewalk. She was going to say something, when a light to her right   
suddenly glanced in her eyes. As she turned towards the source, she   
gasped.  
  
It was a truck, and it was heading straight for the girls in the   
middle of the street. Her friends.  
  
'It's going too fast!' Teri thought, eyes wide in fear.  
  
She thought about what to do quickly. Either she could jump and   
push them away, and possibly be injured or killed by the truck...or   
maybe she could...  
  
'I have to do it!'   
  
She tightened her fists and concentrated. It had been a long   
time since she last did this. She held out her hand, palm open towards   
her friends, and hoped. She hoped with all her heart and soul that it   
was going to work...she didn't want to lose them.  
  
The truck sped in front of her, making her shiver from the   
speed, and the fear that maybe...no, she didn't want to think about it.   
She finally decided to open her eyes, the truck now a long way past   
them, and shivered again.  
  
They were safe. On their butts (apart from one girl who had   
landed shoulders first) and on the opposite sidewalk, but they were   
safe, or so she hoped. Looking left and right, she made sure no other   
vehicle was in view, and ran to them.  
  
"My god, are you okay?!"  
  
"T...Teri...?" Yukino looked up, a bit dazed by what had just   
happened.  
  
"What happened...? It felt like I flew over the ground..."   
Akari moaned, as she rubbed her head in pain.  
  
"Me, too, like a feather," Yukino added.  
  
The three girls' gazes came to fall on Teri.  
  
"...Teri?" Sakuya asked, dumbfounded.  
  
"L...Look, girls...I..." she stammered.  
  
"That really happened to us just now, didn't it? We flew. We   
flew to the other side of the street," Sakuya commented.  
  
"I...it's not what you think..."  
  
The young Ikari seemed hesitant. It was the first time something   
like that had ever happened to her.  
  
"It's like you pushed us out of the way...but you didn't even   
touch us!" Yukino remarked also.  
  
"Teri, how did you do that? What are you? An angel?" Sakuya   
added.  
  
That last comment hit home for Teri. Never in her life has she   
thought she would be called something like that. She knew she was   
different, but didn't feel it until now. There was a long pause as she   
looked down.  
  
That's when the rain began to come down on the girls' heads.   
Yukino looked up, and within seconds it began to pour down really hard.   
Teri was thankful to the sky for this, since the rain would hide the   
tears on her face.  
  
"I'm sorry!" she blurted out. Realizing that she was crying   
harder a second later, she quickly turned and ran down the street.  
  
"TERI!" Sakuya screamed at her. She had a concerned look on her   
face. Almost sad.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
"Tadaima! [I'm home!]" announced Hiroyuki, as he stepped inside.  
  
"Okaeri! [Welcome back!]" replied Asuka, from the living room.  
  
Hiroyuki took off his shoes and headed for the source of the   
voice that welcomed him back home. She was sitting in an armchair near   
the window, holding a book in her hands. Seeing Hiroyuki, she looked   
up.  
  
"How was school? Where is your sister?" she asked.  
  
"She called my cell and told me she was going out with some of   
her friends."  
  
Asuka raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Friends?" she inquired.  
  
"All girls, mom. Don't worry," her son clarified.  
  
"Oh..." she sighed, relieved.  
  
"Come to think of it, I've never really met them before. Maybe   
I should ask Teri about them..." she added, looking up.  
  
"C'mon, mama, it'd be embarrassing for her."  
  
Asuka chuckled.  
  
"I know, I know. I've been young before, too," she smiled,   
looking at him. He just stood there.  
  
"No homework to do?" she added, as she looked at him over the   
top of her glasses.  
  
"Hmm...not much work to do today. I'll do it later."  
  
He eyed his mother carefully, admiring her intent expression as   
she read her book.  
  
"Say, mama...it's been a long time you've had those glasses,   
right? I remember you wearing these when I was a kid," he remarked,   
curious.  
  
"They were a gift from my math teacher in Todai. She was very   
close to her students, especially to me. Not that I minded, though. It   
was wonderful to know a teacher who wasn't old and annoying. She was   
just like one of us, only wiser. When I was about to graduate, I told   
her that one of the things I was always going to remember about Todai   
was her and how serious but kind she always looked when she wore her   
glasses, and she gave them to me as a souvenir. It was really quite a   
surprise. I told her that I couldn't take them, but she insisted. She   
told me that she had to buy a newer, stronger pair anyway, since her   
eyesight was even worse than her fiance's. I got the lenses replaced,   
since I needed reading glasses anyway, like your sister does. They're   
one of the few things I truly cherish. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Hmm...well, just curious, I guess. Sorry if it sounded out of   
place, mom."  
  
Asuka smiled at him.  
  
"That's okay, don't worry. You're as sweet as your father   
sometimes, Hiroyuki-chan..." she said softly.  
  
"What was that teacher's name, by the way?"  
  
"Hmmm...you know, I'm terrible at remembering names...it began   
with a N...I think it was something like Naruse--"  
  
The doorbell rang. Asuka grumbled. She hated being interrupted   
at times like these.  
  
Hiroyuki went to the door and answered. It was a girl with long   
red hair.  
  
"Errr...Yuumura-san?" Hiroyuki asked, not quite sure. The girl   
was soaked and panting.  
  
"...ah...Ikari-kun...is your sister here? I'm sorry to bother   
you so late..."  
  
"Wasn't she supposed to be out with you?"  
  
"She's not here?" Sakuya asked, without replying to Hiroyuki's   
question first.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. Why should she be here?"  
  
"What's going on here?" Asuka came into the hallway, spotting   
Sakuya. The girl immediately bowed when she saw the older woman. There   
was just something about her that suddenly demanded that gesture.  
  
"Errr...are you Teri's sister? I didn't know she had one."  
  
Asuka sweatdropped.  
  
"Me? Teri's sister? I'm 32, young lady!"  
  
The girl blushed heavily.  
  
"Oh my god. I'm sorry, Mrs. Ikari! You just look so much like   
her, and--" Asuka interrupted her by slowly but firmly raising her hand.  
  
"It's okay. I'm flattered, actually. What's your name,   
anyway?"  
  
The girl bowed.  
  
"Yuumura Sakuya. May I talk to you, Mrs. Ikari? It's   
important."  
  
Asuka grinned.  
  
"Hiroyuki-chan, why don't you let your girlfriend in? Can't you   
see that she's drenched? She might catch a cold."  
  
The two teens blushed deep red. Asuka knew that there was   
nothing between them, but teased them nonetheless.  
  
"Mama, it's not what you think! It's one of Teri's friends!"  
  
"Oh!? Her friend? But you..." She turned towards Sakuya.  
  
"Where is Teri? Did something happen to her?! You'd better   
answer!" She probably would have grabbed Sakuya by her collar if   
Hiroyuki hadn't been there. Asuka was very sensitive about whatever   
happened to her dear daughter.  
  
"P-please calm down, Mrs. Ikari! I have something to ask you."  
  
"Huh!?"  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
Teri wandered through the hard rain. Somehow, she wasn't at all   
wet. The rain wasn't even touching her. She walked and walked for what   
seemed like hours to her.  
  
"Hey, young lady! Wanna have some tea with me? I know a good   
place--" a man called out to her from under an umbrella. However, the   
look Teri gave the man froze him to stone.  
  
"Don't bother me, pervert. I'm not into bondage or any sick   
stuff like that, so go away before I call the police." She spoke in a   
very dark tone that scared him to death. How did she...?  
  
"H...Huh? How...?"  
  
"Go away. Now." She looked like she was about to start   
shaking--or pulling out a knife--because of the pure hatred she felt   
towards the man.  
  
Scared by what the girl just told her, the man immediately ran   
away, dropping his umbrella. She looked at it, very briefly considered   
taking it herself, and decided to leave it there and walk on. Her A.T.   
Field would suffice to protect her from the rain.  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
"...so that's the story," Asuka concluded, in front of a very   
surprised and shocked Sakuya. The two were sitting across from each   
other on the couches in the living room. Hiroyuki had been listening   
closely, too, as he was serving himself some hot tea he had prepared for   
his mother and her sister's friend.  
  
"This is...truly unbelievable," Sakuya finally managed to utter   
after a stunned silence.  
  
"After what you just experienced, can you really say that?"  
  
"I guess...not," she admitted. She was now wearing track pants   
and a pullover sweater borrowed from Teri's closet, as her soaked   
uniform was drying off in the kitchen, hanging over a kerosene heater.  
  
"But...this may sound dumb, Ikari-san, but...is she...human?"  
  
Asuka sighed. She didn't like conversations like these, but was   
more or less forced to face it.  
  
"Of course she is. She just has abilities we don't. I know   
this is something that might be dangerous, if the wrong kind of people   
had it. But me and my husband feel that we gave her a lot of love and a   
good education, so I'm not worrying. I believe that she has a good   
heart. And if you truly are Teri's friend, you'd respect her and not   
let word get out about this, would you? I fought long and hard to keep   
her out of NERV's clutches after she was born, and I'd hate to find out   
that I'd have to do that all over again now."  
  
"Don't worry, Mrs. Ikari. We all agreed to not say anything   
about it to anybody else. After all, she saved us from an accident   
today with those abilities. But I think I reacted to it really badly,   
and so did my friends. And I wanted to apologize for them."  
  
"So where's Teri?"  
  
"I...I don't know. I thought she would have come back here..."  
  
"No, she isn't," replied Asuka, before standing up and taking   
her car keys out of her pocket.  
  
Hiroyuki finally spoke up himself. "Teri couldn't run away like   
that. Why would she do this?"  
  
Asuka didn't reply at first, until she took her jacket and   
started putting it on.  
  
"I think I know what she's feeling right now. I went through   
the exact same thing myself when I was her age," she explained, before   
putting her shoes on. The two teens were soon also getting ready to   
leave with her.  
  
"What do you mean, mama?"  
  
Asuka opened the front door, and didn't even turn to look at   
them when she answered.  
  
"She feels alone."  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
The place was familiar. She remembered going there when she was   
a child, with her parents. The rain had calmed down a bit, but was   
still splashing on the ground all around her. She was leaning on a   
guardrail, overlooking Tokyo-3.  
  
"I'm such a fool, running away like that...okaasan and otousan   
are probably worried...Hiro-chan, too..."  
  
She looked up at the city in front of her.  
  
"Tokyo-3...my parents used to protect it, or so they told me..."  
  
She then looked down at her hand, examining it closely.  
  
"And me...why was I born like this? With those powers I don't   
even want...and Brand, and now Sakuya and the others...did Brand go back   
to the U.S. because he rejected me? He could have stayed here. I'm   
sure mom and dad wouldn't have minded...no, that's selfish. What about   
his parents? I guess they were more important..."  
  
She looked down below, resting her head on her arms.  
  
"More important than me..."  
  
She sighed. Her thoughts were twirling around in a dark cycle.  
  
"Am I really important to anyone, anyway? I don't even know   
what to do. Now, or in the future..."  
  
"Difficult phase for a teenager like you, isn't it?" a voice   
asked gently next to her. She hadn't even noticed she was standing   
there until this moment. How long had she been watching and listening   
to her? Teri eyed the woman's arms crossed on the rail, with a can of   
beer in one of her hands. She looked up, and saw that she had long   
purple hair. The woman smiled, opened the can and lifted it up to her   
lips, drinking for a few seconds. She then exhaled loudly and smiled   
again before looking at Teri, who just looked perplexed. Who was she?   
She looked so familiar...finally, the young girl gasped.  
  
"AUNTIE MISATO!? Is that you!?" she asked, wide-eyed.  
  
"Surprised? It has been a while, Teri-chan." the woman smiled.  
  
"You bet! Is that really you? I can't believe it! But why are   
you here?" Teri asked, looking overjoyed.  
  
"Me? Oh, I was just passing by with Kaji and Rei. I also got a   
call from your father to help him look for you."  
  
"Aunt Ayanami's here, too!?"  
  
A car horn suddenly sounded behind them. Kaji Ryoji waved at   
them from the car. As Teri looked closer at the car, she could see a   
pale-skinned, blue-haired woman sitting behind him, giving her that   
strange but familiar enigmatic half-smile.  
  
"B...but I thought you had moved away from Tokyo-3?"  
  
"We did, but your parents invited us over for dinner tonight,   
and Shinji-kun called us on our way to Tokyo-3 and asked us to help him   
find you. He thought that you'd probably be here. And was he ever   
right." She thought back very briefly and grinned. "You may look a lot   
like your mother, but you're daddy's little girl after all, aren't you?"  
  
Teri didn't know how to take that. "I...I was going to go back   
home anyway..."  
  
Misato smiled and was about to say something, when she was   
interrupted by a car speeding towards them. The lights blinded the two   
a little, and the car's tires screeched as the driver floored the brake   
pedal. Soon after, the doors opened and slammed shut, as Sakuya and the   
rest of the Ikari family emerged from the vehicle.  
  
"Well, young lady, you sure gave us a good scaring!" Asuka   
looked at her sternly.  
  
"Errr..."  
  
Her father smiled at her. Teri got a bit nervous seeing Sakuya   
behind them.  
  
"Don't worry, Teri-chan. Sakuya will tell you herself."  
  
Sakuya solemnly stepped forward, and bowed in front of her   
speechless friend.  
  
"Teri, I'm sorry about what I said earlier, I guess I was too   
surprised about what had happened...I mean, about nearly getting hit by   
a truck and then being saved like *that*."  
  
"Sakuya..." the girl whispered.  
  
"You know, whether you have super powers or not, or whatever it   
is, I don't care at all. You're my friend, you're *our* friend, and we   
will stay that way long as we can stay together. Right?"  
  
"Right!" declared two voices behind them. Yukino and Akari were   
behind them, on bicycles.  
  
"Ah, you two are back!" Sakuya looked at them, and then back at   
Teri. "Yukino got Akari home to help her bandage her head." Indeed,   
Akari had a couple of bits of gauze taped to her head because of her   
landing when Teri made them fly out of the truck's way.  
  
"Teri-chan. You're not alone, all right? You have us, and you   
have your friends. And we all love you. I hope you know just how much   
you mean to us..." Shinji declared.  
  
"Why...me?"  
  
Misato put her arms around Teri.  
  
"Because...it's your fault that your parents are in love," she   
said sweetly, almost dreamily, as if she wished the same thing would   
happen to her.  
  
"Huh...?"  
  
Teri saw Shinji and Asuka smile at each other before drawing   
each other into a hug. As she looked around, she noticed that everyone   
was smiling. Her brother. Her friends. Her parents. Misato.  
  
That's when she realized she had a special part in everyone's   
heart. The Teri in her parents' hearts was surrounded by love they had   
both vowed together to never let waver. The Teri in her brother's heart   
was one of the most beloved sisters on earth. The Teri in her friends'   
hearts was a good and kind person who they felt fortunate to have in   
their lives. The Teri in Misato's heart was the result of a lot of   
dangerous risks, and would have been worth taking ten times as many if   
she had needed to.  
  
And, for once, she was glad she was able to read their minds.   
She could honestly see that everyone cared about her and accepted her.  
  
"Everyone..."  
  
The young girl sniffled a bit.  
  
"Thank you...! I'm sorry for all this, I didn't want...I've   
just been so troubled lately...I missed Brand so much, I forgot that   
you were all here for me. I don't know what to do...I feel so   
embarrassed about all this..."  
  
Asuka and Shinji approached Teri. The young girl looked at them   
and made a small step forward, clutching and hugging her father close.  
  
"Thank you, otousan..."  
  
"You know Teri-chan, I used to run away all the time before your   
mother...errr...disciplined me." he said shyly, wanting her to laugh at   
his funny remark. Teri giggled a bit, and nestled herself in his arms.  
  
"Hmph..." Asuka couldn't help but be that way every time a girl   
or woman, even if it was her own daughter, showed affection to her   
husband.  
  
"Asuka-chan, don't be so possessive..." Shinji said softly,   
reassuring her.  
  
"I'm not possessive or anything!" she protested.  
  
Teri smiled at her parents and disengaged from her father's   
embrace, and then hugged her mother.  
  
"Thank you, too, okaasan, for giving birth to me."  
  
"Oooh..baka Teri-chan... " Asuka cooed, a bit surprised. It was   
one of the first times that Asuka had been hugged by her daughter since   
adolescence had made her self-conscious about showing affection to her   
parents in front of people other than her family. The daughter she   
cherished even during her pregnancy, the one who started all this...  
  
"I'm not a burden, am I?" Teri asked, still hugging her mother   
close.  
  
"Why would you be? We've always loved you, and always will."  
  
Everyone smiled at the touching scene. Her brother, who stood   
silent until now, decided to speak.  
  
"Uhm, I know we don't talk much about serious stuff, onee-san,   
but if you ever need someone to talk to, well, I'm here, and I can help   
by just lending an ear if you want to."  
  
"That's some wise thinking, Hiroyuki-chan," Asuka remarked.   
Teri hummed, and went to her brother, hugging him close as well, much to   
his surprise.  
  
"You deserve a hug, too, Hiro-chan," she said, giving him a peck   
on the cheek.  
  
"Well, shall we go have dinner? I'm kind of hungry," said   
Misato with a gentle smile.  
  
"Ah, too bad Kaji-san saw me like this, I wanted him to first   
see me in that sexy red dress I bought today..." she sighed, half- joking. Shinji blushed hard, while Misato fumed.  
  
"Asuka!!"  
  
"Heh heh, just kidding."  
  
"I'll walk back home with my friends, if you don't mind,   
okaasan." Teri announced.  
  
"I don't have any objections to that. Do you, Shin-chan?"  
  
"None at all, Asuka-chan."  
  
After Misato and Kaji got into their car to get ready to leave   
for the Ikaris' apartment, Teri saw Rei say something to them, and then   
roll down her window, look directly at her and then smile.  
  
"It's good to see you again, Teri-chan. You've really growing   
up. I'll see you a little later," she said, in her soft but clear   
voice. Her curt manner took Teri a little aback, but, since she knew   
what Rei was originally like from what her parents had told her, she   
understood that this meant that she also cared very much about her.   
After Rei rolled her window back up, both cars pulled away, leaving Teri   
with her friends. After a gentle group hug, the four began to walk back   
towards her apartment.  
  
"Well, too bad about the karaoke, huh? You scared us a bit, you   
know?" Sakuya said, smiling. Teri still felt a bit uneasy.  
  
"We're sorry for what we said, but we didn't know you had   
abilities like that. Come to think of it, it's...cool?"  
  
"Cool...?"  
  
"What else can you do, Teri? I'm curious!" Akari asked, looking   
at her.  
  
"Hmm, if I told you, you'd be scared of me again..."  
  
"C'mon Teri, we're not going to freak out or tell anybody else."   
Yukino tried to reassure her.  
  
Teri hesitated a bit before speaking.  
  
"Well, as you saw, I can do lots of stuff...like moving objects,   
and, hmm, reading minds, and travelling into people's dreams when I   
sleep too..."  
  
"R...Reading minds?" Sakuya asked. "So you can see what we're   
thinking right now?"  
  
"Well, there's some limitations. I can't do it to anyone or at   
any time at will. I don't know why it's like that, but if you ask me,   
it's better that way. I don't want to hurt people by reading what they   
think. I wouldn't want that to happen to me. It'd be kind of like...   
violating their trust, you know? I just wish I could have known Brand   
was going to leave Japan so soon..."  
  
Teri looked down and a single tear slid down her cheek. Sakuya   
quickly but gently wiped it away with one of her fingers, surprising the   
young Ikari.  
  
There was a pause as they walked.  
  
"Listen, Teri. Once, Love asked Friendship, 'Why do you exist,   
when you can only do a little of what I'm able to do?'" Sakuya began.   
Teri looked curious.  
  
"And, what did Friendship say?" she asked.  
  
Sakuya smiled broadly at her, supported by the two other friends   
at her sides.  
  
"'I exist to dry the tears that you make flow.'"  
  
  
* * *  
THE END  
* * *  
  
  
Author's notes:  
  
I know I've been saying that I wouldn't write any more Eva fanfic, but   
what can I say now? I couldn't leave this idea unexploited. Now I can   
get back on work on "Love Hina: Keitaro's Journey to Hell." Heh heh :)  
  
Did anyone find all the references to (mainly) recent anime in this fic?   
There are six of them! :)  
  
Many thanks to Myssa for all the support she gave me, as well as some   
ideas and pre-pre-pre-reading advice :)  
  
  
Retooler's notes:  
  
I wish to offer my utmost apologies to Axel and everybody else involved   
with "Gifts" for taking so damn long to do my thing with it. There are   
some people who find it fortunate that reading for a while makes them   
sleepy. I'm not one of them. In cases like this (and watching   
subtitled anime), I think it sucks, because it quite obviously slows me   
down; another result is that I'm also less than halfway through the   
fourth Harry Potter book that a friend lent me, and she's getting kind   
of mad at me for taking so long with *that*! I finally decided to just   
get as much coffee down my neck as I could get my hands on and finish   
"Gifts" once and for all. I hope that you all found it worth the wait,   
and that you'll forgive me for my procrastination. Back to you, Axel.  
  
  
* * *  
  
OMAKE  
(with two more current anime references for your pleasure!)  
  
"Hey, young lady! Wanna have some tea with me? I know a good   
place--" a man called out to her from under an umbrella. However, the   
look Teri gave the man froze him to stone.  
  
"Don't bother me, pervert. I'm not into bondage or any sick   
stuff like that, so go away before I call the police." She spoke in a   
very dark tone that scared him to death. How did she...?  
  
"H...Huh? How...?"  
  
"Go away. Now." She looked like she was about to start   
shaking--or pulling out a knife--because of the pure hatred she felt   
towards the man.  
  
From the top of a building, a gunshot could be heard. The man   
who had just been accosting Teri was suddenly dashed onto the sidewalk,   
surprising the girl. Sakuya was on the rooftop of the building, aiming   
a gun towards the fresh corpse. Her look was one of pure concentration;   
a girl who could kill without feeling anything about it. A perfect   
assassin...  
  
Sakuya then shook her head and sighed in relief, her task   
complete. She then turned around to another man who was under holding a   
umbrella, and ran up to him happily.  
  
"Are you pleased, onii-sama!!?"  
  
* * *  
  
Okay, this is it this time. Really.  
  
Axel Terizaki. 


End file.
